42-3167 - Ye Olde Pub

media-24235.jpeg UPL 24235 The crew of 379th Bomb Group's "Ye Olde Pub." Left to right standing: S/Sgt. Bertrand "Frenchy" Coulombe, Sgt. Alex Yelesanko, T/Sgt. Richard Pechout, S/Sgt. Lloyd Jennings, T/Sgt. John "Hugh" Eckenrode, and S/Sgt. Sam Blackford. Left to right kneeling: 2nd Lt. Charles "Charlie" Brown, 2nd Lt. Spencer "Pinky" Luke, 2nd Lt. Al Sadok, and 2nd Lt. Robert Andrews.

Unassociated John Eckenrode because he was the wrong one

Object Number - UPL 24235 - The crew of 379th Bomb Group's "Ye Olde Pub." Left to right standing: S/Sgt. Bertrand "Frenchy" Coulombe, Sgt. Alex Yelesanko, T/Sgt. Richard...

Delivered Cheyenne 6/3/43; Dow Fd 15/4/43; Assigned 423BS/306BG [RD-Z] Thurleigh 19/4/43; transferred 527BS/379BG [FO-S] Kimbolton 17/6/43; battle damaged over Bremen 20/12/43, with Charlie Brown, Copilot: Pinky Luke, Navigator: Al Sadok, Bombardier: Bob Andrews, Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner: Frenchy Coulombe, Radio Operator: Dick Pechout, Ball Turret Gunner: Sam Blackford, Waist Gunner: Lloyd Jennings (RTD); Waist gunner: Alex Yelesanko (1-WIA- later KIA), Tail Gunner: Hugh Eckenrode (1-KIA); force landed Seething Afd, Nfk; 2 BAD Warton 4/4/44; never flew in action again. Returned to the USA Homestead 16/4/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 11/8/45. Ye Olde Pub. 

After the war Lt. Charlie Brown researched for a number of years after the war and finally found the German Ace Bf-109 Pilot Franz Stigler, then living in Canada, who had initially intended to, and could have, shot Lt. Brown and his crew down. After meeting together in the U.S. , Stigler related at a 379th's reunion, that he had a change of heart as he suddenly, and for no apparent reason, changed his mind and felt sorry for the injured American crew in their severely damaged plane as they all were intently looking at each other as Stigler flew next to the American B-17. Then, who knows why, at almost that very moment, Stigler began remembering the ancient code of chivalry in war, knowing it held that killing an enemy who was injured or dying, and could not defend himself, was not only less than honorable, but was also to no good purpose, he reversed himself and decided to stay with the Americans to prevent the deadly German flak guns below them both from shooting the American B-17 bomber down, with a German fighter flying in formation with it.  Then, he rolled his 109 fighter up and over the nose of the stricken B-17, and  tried to directed the two American pilots with hand signals pointing straight down and trying to mouth his words to the two pilots to land immediately on a German air base below them, which, although the two bomber pilots were watching Stigler carefully and were beginning to realize the miraculous reality that, for some very unusual reason, Stigler was trying to save and help them fly towards safety in Germany with him escorting them to a safe landing, then, pointing toward Sweden, and, when the Americans refused those bits of advice, Stigler finally pointed them directly to safety in Britain and stayed with them over the coast and away from the deadly German flak guns, a deadly German fighter escorting a damaged and fading American B-17 to safety !  Years later some 25 American airmen veterans at one of their 375th Bomb Group's reunions, first heard that story, were further amazed when they also found out that Stigler never even fired his guns later the day that he intercepted and saved Charlie Brown and his crewmen in, Ye Olde Pub, on that amazing day. After meeting, becoming close friends in the years after the war, and the many times the former warriers now turned into close friends, talking over the events of days past, both Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler both realized that on that very day over Germany they had stopped fighting the terrible war that was nearly over, and both men had become best friends.  In their later years, they got together and visited each other as often as they could before both pilots eventually died within weeks of each other in 2008, happy they found friendship after hating and trying to kill each other as deadly enemies in WWII.   -   "The Stigler-Brown Incident"  Animation    -     Youtube Reinactment Video

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 379th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-802713
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 527th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Flight Engineer / Top Turret Gunner
Sgt. Hugh Eckenrode, tail gunner of B-17 'Ye Olde Pub'
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 527th Bomb Squadron 379th Bomb Group
  • Service Numbers: 33237423
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Places

Missions

Revisions

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Youtube Video  -  The Stigler-Brown Incident Animation                                              en wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz _Stigler

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Youtube Video  -  The Stigler-Brown Incident Animation                                              en wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz _Stigler

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Aircraft name returned to lower case letters.                                                                        en wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Stigler

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

en wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz Stigler                                                                                      Aircraft name returned to lower case letters. 

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

en wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz Stigler 

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

https :  en. wikipedia .org . " Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler Incident".                       Youtube Video, " Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler Incident."                        

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

https : // en. wikipedia .org  -  "Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler Incident"                    ----   Youtube Video  - "Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler Incident"

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a space before the words “Tail gunner” in the A/C “Description” section.

Date
Contributorhansvonmaltzahn
Changes
Sources

See Adam Makos web page for his book, "A Higher Call," about the story behind 2nd Lt. Charlie Brown's bombing mission on the 20th December, 1943, it is a highly recommended read! https://www.adammakos.com/a-higher-call-book.html

 

Date
ContributorRobertSmith
Changes
Sources

Multiple hobby and art websites, No contemporary photographs

Date
ContributorRobertSmith
Changes
Sources

Joe Baugher website. USASC-USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Military Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to Present (http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/usafserials.html)
via its search engine search engine http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=42-3167&c…

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log

42-3167: Gallery (4 items)